Eggsxcuse Me!

It's the time of year for Easter egg hunts!  Since we are heading out of town on Easter Sunday, we decided to have our own small egg hunt on Good Friday.  Lola actually kinda participated.  And when I say, "kinda," I mean she was directed to the eggs and got to about six of them before Blake got the rest.  It was fun, though!

Here are some photos from the day.  Have a wonderful Easter!

Beach Bash 2010!

Blake's school had a beach bash a couple weeks ago.  It was basically a carnival.  There was no beach.  And there really wasn't a bash.  But seriously, I LOVE school carnivals.  It reminded me of when I was in elementary school (oh so very long ago).  I lived for the carnivals.  I lived for the cake walk, the games, and all the prizes.  Blake's carnival was a little different.  I guess times have changed (duh).  But hey, it was still fun.  Here are some reasons why I enjoy school carnivals (and maybe real carnivals, too, if I ever went to one.....) so much!

1.  The candy bar walk (yes, it is no longer the cake walk).  I might have (and I emphasize the MIGHT HAVE) made Blake play several, several times.  It paid off (eventually).  He won TWO full-size candy bars.  And no, he didn't share one with me.  :(

2.  Animal balloons.  WHAT?  Yeah,  I said it.  I think it's cool when very creative people can whip up an animal out of balloons.  I can recognize raw talent when I see it.  I'm jealous.  Very jealous.  But as long as I get my poodle, I'm okay!  Oh, and yes, I'm the one who wants the balloon (not Blake....or even Lola).

3.  The 2 liter ring toss.  I shouldn't even include this because it's SOOOOOO frustrating and terribly hard to win.  But the possibility of winning some Diet Coke is too good to pass up.  I thought it was kinda weird that there were so many caffeinated drinks at an elementary school carnival.  However, that was kinda why I encouraged Blake to play so many times.  He never won.  I told him I would buy him his own 2 liter (and I might have gotten one for myself, too).

4.  The chance to win a goldfish by playing a ridiculous game.  I actually won one back in the day.  It died that night, I think.  Anyway, this year, the kids had to throw a ping pong ball into a tiny (yes, tiny) fish bowl.  Blake wanted nothing more than to win a fish.  He tried for so long that I, again, told him I would just buy him a stinkin' fish.  Why do I love carnivals?  They seem to cost me a lot of money!  Hmmmm......

5.  Carnival food.  I bet the school carnivals don't compete with real carnivals but popcorn and pizza are always good to me!

6.  Finally, the prizes.  Blake had a lot of points after playing a lot of games (mostly the "win a fish" game and the 2 liter ring toss).  He got his little sister a stuffed animal and he got himself some vampire teeth.  And what ends the day at the carnival better than some vampire teeth?  Nothing, folks.  There is nothing better, I say!

Told ya!

Here are some other photos from the day:

Last Winner is Chosen!

As Butler just sealed the deal (a trip to the championship game), so did one of my readers.  Only my reader didn't win a ticket to any type of championship game (sorry...if only I were rich!!!)!  Nope, my reader won a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble (almost as good, right?)!  The lucky reader (of both my blog and of books) is Ethan!  WOO HOO!  I will send your prize as soon as I get back from vacation.

Vacation?   Yup, we're taking a little vaca.  We are heading to New York (not New York City) in the morning.  I'm so excited to see my sister.  I'm not so excited to drive ten hours with a baby (LOLA) who HATES riding in cars.  Yeah.  Weird.  What baby doesn't like to go for drives?  MINE.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I hope everyone (here in Indy) has a great break.  I hope everyone else has an awesome "regular" week!  Oh, and GOOOOOOOOO Butler!  Enjoy the championship game on Monday.  I know I will! :)  Thanks to all of you for being dedicated readers of my blog!  You all ROCK!

P.S.  I realize I didn't have TEN comments (which I think is totally lame) but I decided to reward one of the NINE readers who took the time to comment!  Thanks, peeps!

The Last HOORAH!

Today is the day.  Or should I say tonight is the night?  Either way, it is the last of the March madness giveaways.  It's hard to even think about basketball since it hasn't been on since Sunday and won't be on until Saturday.  Sad.  I can't believe it's almost over.

What can we talk about tonight?  What can you win by leaving a comment tonight?  Hmmmm.......well, since I am a total book lover, I'm going to give a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble.  I love to read.  I love to just hang out in a book store.  Of course, since I have written two novels myself (too bad nothing came out of it), I love to critique other authors.  And I LOVE to read new material!

So tell me, readers (of both this blog, and I'm sure, of good books), what are some of your favorite books?  I'm always interested in hearing what people are reading.  And I love to share some of my favorite books with others.  I  keep a book journal at the house because I have a terrible memory.  Sometimes I know I've read a book, but I can't remember what I thought about it.  In my journal, I summarize the book and give it a ranking.  Yeah, I'm kind-of a big dork.  But hey, it works!

I will start (of course) by sharing some of my favorite novels.  I love classics.  I love The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I love The Awakening by Kate Chopin.  I also love super fun chick lit books.  I love I Do But I Don't by Cara Lockwood.  And I love any book written by Sophie Kinsella.  My list could go on and on and on (you get the idea).....

Of course, the same rules of the giveaway apply!  I need ten of ya to tell me one of your favorite books.  If you feel like sharing more than one (and I kinda think you should), that would be awesome!  I will have Blake draw the winner on Saturday at 8 PM.  Good luck on this very LAST giveaway.  Forever.  And ever.  :)

It's Winnin' Time!

Saturday is the day the winner is revealed.  What's at stake?  Recipes and a $10 Panera gift card.  WOO HOO!  And we BARELY got the minimum number of comments.  By that I mean we had EXACTLY ten.  The numbers are dropping!  Boo hoo (that's the sound of me crying because people are losing interest in the giveaway).  However, it gives you readers better odds at winning.

This week I'm very happy to tell my dear friend that her luck is still in tact.  She was worried the last several weeks when her number was not picked (randomly by Blake).  Tonight, it is indeed her lucky night.  Jenny Squire, you are the winner.  Three cheers for Jenny!  Hip hip hooray!

Thank you all for sharing AWESOME recipes and for sharing your favorite restaurants.  I can't wait to try them out!

Next week will be the final March giveaway.  Come back on Tuesday (or before then, if you'd like) to find out what you could win!  Now it's time for me to get back to watchin' the game!  I still can't believe all the upsets and AWESOME games that have been on during the tournament!  I LOVE this month!