Pool is OPENNNN...!!!

So I thought I would try out this scrolling photo thingy. Monkey Boy loves the water, these were taken last Summer. He finally decided he no longer needed the 1 water wing by the end of the year. But now, already, it's all I'm hearing... "Can we go to the pool today?"... "Can we go to the pool today?"..... HUH HUH?!?!? CAN WEEE?!?!?

I loved those swimming trunks, his Wee-Nana in London sent them.. they have the British flag down both sides. So cute :)

My Dirty Little Secret

Last Friday was a big day for the MoNkEy BoY... the last day of 1st grade. However... what is that expression about a little rain must fall? I dunno, that rule that when everything is going great.. something is bound to fuck up your world. That's my quote. His dog, the fence jumper, was hit by a car Thursday night. We didn't find out until Friday morning, while Monkey was getting ready for school. He was excited about taking the bus to school, usually I drive him and he rides it home. However, Rocky was in the path of the bus route.. and that wouldn't be a fun way to start the day. So while he was at school, my husband and our most helpful friend/neighbor buried him in the woods. We were going to tell Monkey, but he is just assuming he ran away and is living on a farm somewhere :) And we're going to leave it at that. It's not like he hasn't had enough death in his life, I think we can give him a break. I know, I'm weak. But sometimes the unknown is better.. that way he can always imagine something good happened.

Rest in Peace Rocky. But don't think I'm still not mad at you for running away all the time! And digging up my flowers! I knew I shoulda bought 4 electric shock collars and made you wear all of them at once! :)

These photos were taken from my office window last year. The odd thing is that we picked Rocky up the day after Kindergarten ended and he died the day 1st grade ended. Very odd. And sad, of course.

Bouncy.. Bouncy... BOUNCY!!

So Monkey Boy had his partay today. We rented one of those bouncy houses, and as you can see they were all able to defy gravity! Camo Monkey Boy had so much fun, and so did his little freaky friends. And believe it or not, there was no blood or broken body parts! Yay!

Here Monkey Boy is demonstrating his magician tricks... levitating the boy in red. Later he cut the little blonde in half.. it was GREAT!! Although her Mom was kinda pissed. Oops :)

I would have taken more photos, but it was just so dang hot. These were taken later in the day. At its peak, this house was full of bouncing 7-year-olds and it was true chaos. Love it!!

Next year he'll be older... at what age do I have to have rock bands and dancing girls????

Last Day of School ... Woo-Hoo!

OK, so I am happy my son will be out of school for the Summer. I know many parents dread it... but because they have to find daycare or something. We're having a party with a big bouncy house in the front yard. I'll be sure to take lots of photos!

Do you remember the class pictures when you were a kid? How fun, huh? Sorry, I had to blur the other kids' faces. I just feel bad posting kids without their parents knowledge. I mean, would you want your kids face on a site called 'Naughty Voyeur'?? Even if that ISN'T what it means :) Yes, Monkey Boy has on his 'I'm going to get beat up.. thanks Mom' shirt :)

Monkey visits the Vet

Well, it seems Monkey Boy is going to be alright. Although I have no idea why he was sick.. just one of those virus things. Which has kept him out of school for 3 days. And now that they only have 1/2 days for the rest of the week.. then they're out.. I'd say he's pretty lucky. I think he planned it :) Little troll :) I snapped some photos of him when we left the doctors office. Just to prove to everyone that he's faking it :)

By the way, I think the red rash was from a spray-on sunscreen I bought for him. I'll look up the brand if anyone wants to know, but I asked the doctor if that might have been it. He thought it was, since it started to go away the next day. So, just a heads-up if you buy lotions for kids. Perhaps it's the aerosol that annoys them.. dunno. Well, at least Monkey Boy.

Pump... You... Up!!

And thank you to 'Girl Next Door' and her 'Family Next Door' for keeping me up until 2:00am so that she could watch the man of her dreams. Gunter Schlierkamp. Actually, it was fun. But I really did think she was going to lick the screen. I don't normally watch body building, but the 'Most Muscular' pose was a hoot. And what is with the sparkly panties?!?!? And since I like a man in a nice suit.. I picked this photo of your boy Gunter :)

Things that perplex me.

I was thinking today, about my neighbor. No, not 'girl next door'.. she's great :) But, one of the other neighbors. She lives across the street from me. I'm guessing she's in her 40's, she's married and has a son in college. She's a bit odd, and I don't really talk to her much. Not so much odd I guess, we just don't click. When she talks to me, I almost feel like I'm being insulted somehow.. if that' makes sense. As if she's trying to be funny, but not smiling.. so you're not really sure. Her husband, I'm lucky if he waves. I only see him drive into and out of the garage.. and sometimes mowing the lawn. And their son is a complete tool. When he is here during the summer, he is just loud and obnoxious. One day he sat outside of their house honking for about 20 minutes... I eventually lost it and yelled for him to knock it off. I'm sure it fell on deaf ears, but it did finally get his mother outside and they yelled.. who knows. I went back inside.

So last Summer I was sitting on my front step. I like sitting on my front step, I can watch the Monkey Boy as he plays and sometimes neighbors will come and sit with me. I just listen away and wait for exciting tidbits I can tell 'Girl Next Door' ...snicker... So one afternoon the lady across the street came over. I was surprised actually, she isn't all that friendly. She plopped down and we chatted for a while. I asked her about her foreign exchange student, if he made it home OK. She had a young man from Italy, he was very nice. Her driveway faces our house, and he was forever out there playing basketball. Badly :) We would tease him all the time, but he was a super nice kid. High School.. I'd say 17 or 18. I never asked. But, our conversation became a little odd. She explained how he was fine, and I think they're planning a trip to visit him and his family. And she started to tell me about how she had a new young man coming to live with her for the new school year... basically she has a foreign exchange student every year. And she said, "I don't know how I'm going to feel about it, he's from Sweden. I really like the Italians, they're very handsome. I think Italians are very attractive." And I had to pause... And she noticed I paused... "Well.. you know what I mean. I have always had Italians.. it will just be different that he has blonde hair and blue eyes." Er?

So today I got to thinking about that whole conversation. And how it was a bit odd. I'm pretty open, I don't care if she thinks HS guys are hot. Whatever, it's her deal. But it seems a bit seedy to be a foreign exchange student host.. and to find HS guys hot. That's just creepy. Personally, I like to look at business men in suits :) Really nice suits. Don't know why, they just look intelligent. Take same guy on the weekend in shorts and a t-shirt, no thanks :) But HS guys? Not at all. And I got to thinking about her interactions in the past with her other students. They would play basketball together, she would be out there giggling like a school girl. And her last student, before the poor un-loved Swede, she would take digi pics of him while he was shirtless and playing ball. Eew. I just felt sorry for her before the conversation, I felt that maybe her husband was a wanker .. and I know her son is a wanker. Maybe she was just so maternal that she wanted another son? Eh, no. But I like the Swede, he's also very nice. He lets my son go over and play bbal with him, and the other kids if they're about. He came over on Halloween with all of his friends, they dressed up and it was very funny. But he seems to have a lot of friends, and she doesn't seem to mind. Last guy, she was telling me how angry she was because he would go to his friend's house and not tell her. They would argue about it, and he had to be back by a certain time. I'm telling you, creepy. I'm not going to go on about it any more.. just wanted to express my thoughts on it :) I'll keep y'all informed!!

And then there was ...

.. the rash. Why a rash? I don't know. Monkey didn't feel good Thursday night, and threw up twice. He stayed home Friday, which broke his little monkey heart because it was all-day-play-day at school. He was so excited all week. He felt better lastnight, so we went out with friends to see 'Over the Hedge'. It was very cute :) He was fine.. but then hurled after we got home. Poor monkey. Then today we get up... and rash. But he feels OK, although that could be because I haven't really fed him much yet. My neighbor thought it might be 'fifth disease'. Which is basically a rash with cold-like symptoms and then it goes away. Not a 'disease' as in terminal.. just a 'disease' as in ruins the weekend and no all-day-play-day. So we took a photo, I thought a cold shower would help. The poor Monkey Boy :) I guess it will be a 'have to see the doctor' disease come Monday if it doesn't improve.

P.S. I forgot to mention the cutest/saddest part :) When he was hurling Thursday night.. he kept saying, "OK, I feel better now! I'll be OK Mommy!"... because he didn't want me to say he couldn't go to school Friday. It was so cute.. but sad. I did get him showered and dressed, and even said he could go in late. We drove by the school.. it was an outdoor party.. but he just didn't have the umph. And in 80 degree weather, I don't think he could have handled running around all day.

GREAT back support :)

The Monkey isn't feeling well. I don't know if it's something he ate yesterday, or if he has managed to pick up some sort of stomach flu. His Kindergarten (last year) teacher called to talk today, and said it is going around the school. I was teasing my Dad that maybe he picked up the Avian flu at the zoo yesterday... but that's not really funny. The poor baby threw up lastnight, and once tonight. ..sigh.. So, I was finishing up some work on my computer and he crawled into his usual Chair Troll position. However, after a few minutes I noticed he wasn't moving... and is horizontal. His head is on my right arm rest, and his feet are in the desk drawers to my left. Darn it, he's just so cute at times :) So I raised my camera above my head.. and now you can see that he is out cold. So as I'm typing this, he is keeping my back very warm and comfy :) Oh well... off to bed. Of course my husband is in Vegas... so I have to carry him up. He weighs like 900 pounds now!! And is squirmy! Maybe I'll just drag him by one foot. Yes, I think that's it.

Zoo Field Trip

Today was the Zoo Field Trip for all of the 1st grade classes. Chaos. Insanity. Mayhem. But.. fun :) Monkey Boy was especially excited that he was going to see some of his relatives, and they would get to catch up on everything;



Once those two were done exchanging phone numbers, we moved on. Time to check out all of the other wild beasties that were obviously plotting their escape. What are those two whispering anyway? And does that Meerkat really think he can clear that wall?? As adorable as they are, I would have been happy to bring them home. But most likely they would have eaten us in our sleep or something. It's those dark seedy eyes :) And did you know they are resistant to scorpion and snake venom? S'true. Actually, they are very interesting to read about.



And here are a few other shots we managed on the trip:





After all this, the rockstar pretended to be tuckered out. He's such a ham. So we did lunch, a few pics and it was all over. ..sigh.. And yes, I made the shirt. Couldn't resist. I haven't made one in ages.. we did it lastnight. I used to love 'puffy paints' :) My brother cracked me up, though. One lady asked, "Where did you get that shirt.. it's so cute!".. and he said, "They sell them in the gift shop." He's just so evil :) It's why I love him.




The teacher allowed MB to pick which other student he wanted to be pals with for the day. He picked Miss M here. I think he has a crush on her, but he denies it :) She is a sweet little girl though. Still... he can't date until he's 40 :) And yes, they are standing on the same rock. I need to stop the vitamins!!

After looking at the photos again, he looks like a drunk asleep in the park in the last photo. Hmmmmm... a sign?? :)

Weston, MO part XVIIPQRSTXXV

OK, fine, so I took some pretty pictures of the landscape. Primarily Irises. I love Irises. So I'm postin' them, get over it :) It's my blog and I'll post what I wanna! The first one sort of reminded me of that Van Gogh painting 'Irises'. OK, it's all wrong but it's sorta like it! And the trees are from the cemetery. They were huge.

History of Dance :)

I was snoopin' through Pope-Rah's site today, and this has to be the funniest video. A comedian doing 'The History of Dance'. Watch it if you haven't already... I command thee!! Click HERE to go to the link.

Weston, MO - Part III

Weston is well known for its quaint little antique shops. It is such a fun town to just stroll through. Here are a few of the shops. Let me know if you see anything in the windows you need for me to go back and pick up!!

Photo on left: (according to this page) The building built in 1839 was a hotel and tavern during Weston's river port days. In 1885 it became the new home of the Weston Chronicle Newspaper owned by B. J Bless and remained in the family for five generations and 98 years until it sold in 1983.
The last photo, with the red awning, is actually a museum. The Orval Hixon Vaudeville Museum. He was a famous photographer of Vaudeville stars. You can read more about it on this page.

Weston, MO - Part II

OK, so as I was cruising Weston, takes about 2 minutes! I discovered this beautiful graveyard at the top of the hill. I've always been drawn to the really old graveyards, they're so beautiful and full of history. I wish tombstones had more information. However, I did run into a family of vultures.. ick. What an eerie scene that was. And the one of the vulture sitting on the very old monument which said 'Mother'.. was not fun on Mother's Day :)

Sorry for the eerie photos. I just thought they were beautiful. Some of them, if you click on them, you can read the names and dates. These were from the 1800's! One actually says 1799 as the date of death.

This second photo (above)I liked quite a bit. Firstly, because of the color of the mold growing on it. It was a beautiful rust color. The stone looked so well taken care of, and so new. But, she was born in 1799 and married in 1819, which means she was 20. I felt that was a bit old, didn't they marry much younger usually? Which I'm guessing means she was perhaps an independent lady. She married a doctor and they were married for 56 years. She died at 76, so he must have been a really good doctor!

The photo above on the left: 6/28/1805 - 11/13/1884
The photo above on the right: 5/8/1818 - 3/2/1864 - and look where she moved from!
I'll let you guys work out the rest. But man, the history in this graveyard. It's so fascinating.

In the last photo, you can see the 3 vultures. There were actually 4. I kept my distance :)

Update: I found this article on the net. However, I know I saw a stone dated 1799:
LAUREL HILL CEMETERY
Laurel Hill Cemetery sets high on the Welt Street hill overlooking the town. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the pre-Civil War cemetery is not endowed. First known as City Cemetery, the name was changed to Laurel Hill in 1902. Early settlers buried here are four generations of Daniel Boone descendants, David and Phena Calvert Holladay, and Buffalo Bill's aunt Louisa Cody. One of only a few maintained slave cemeteries in the state, a quarter section holds the graves of Missouri slaves. Laurel Hill cemetery is probably the oldest cemetery in Platte County, since Weston was the first town in the Platte Purchase. A few markers of 1840 can be found.

Could you remove the penis?

Can you believe this is a normal question I have to answer? Why do people pretend to love art, then ask to change it? In my line of work, I deal with a variety of different artwork.. mainly the classics. Without getting into great detail, we basically reproduce it into a different form. But I want to scream when someone asks, "I LOVE the Creation of Adam.... but can you remove Adam's penis?" WHAT?!?!? Or today, they are attacking my favorite painting. "I really love the piece Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabanel.. but can you remove Venus? I just want the cherubs. Oh, and can you remove the penises of the cherubs?" Of course I want to scream at them and hang up.. but I'm greedy. I'll add her husband's penis, if that's what she wants. Because I have no standards. However, I do appreciate art. If I ever open a showroom I am going to cover my office wall with the penis details of thousands of paintings. It's going to be.. well... interesting to say the least. But I do wish these people would stop. "I really like the piece Danaides by Waterhouse. But that urn has a scary face, can you remove it?"... Did you even READ the story? I personally don't like modern art. Modern, as in a big red and blu blob that 'moves' people. Please. But I appreciate everyone is different. Would I ever walk into a gallery and say, "I like that piece there... but the solid black doesn't work for me. Could you add some flowers and maybe a mountain.. OH, and some people fishing wearing a t-shirt that reads, 'If you can read this the bitch fell off'?!?!?!" THANKSS!!!!!! Do I come to their jobs and say, "HEY!! This is a great cheeseburger.. but the special sauce offends me!! Get rid of it!!" Nhooooo.. because if I don't want their special sauce.. I don't pretend to be a special sauce lover!

OK. Cooling jets now. I'm off to remove penises....

Weston Missouri - Part I

In order to keep up with Chalice, and her trip to Amish country, I thought I would cruise Weston, MO today. It's not too horribly far from where I live, and it's such a relaxing place to visit.

America Bowman Keeping Room - 500 Welt Street
This is a really good restaurant. I remember as a kid, we would occasionally go there on weekends. My parents were friends with the owners. They had the greatest food, and the ambiance is so cool! The furniture was very antique, many pieces were hand made. They served the food on pewter plates, and dressed in costume. You felt like you lived in the Wild Wild West :) It's still a great place to go. If you're ever in Weston, MO.. I would highly recommend it. They have new owners now, but their style is still the same. The location has a lot of history, which unfortunately I don't completely remember. They have underground cellars and many long tunnels which I believe were used during the war. We took a tour once, it was mucho creepy-o!! I thought they used to produce wine, but in reading the history on the link below, it was beer. They also have their own Bed and Breakfast, which is located on the property. I have never stayed there, it would probably be fun. I got a big kick out of the sign on the side of the restaurant, "If you must drive a man to drink.. please drive him here". Bwahhahhah!! There is more information on this website.

This is the main street in Weston. Riveting, eh? But it really is a wonderful old town. I believe they used to, or possibly still do, produce tobacco.

There is a large building still there, which I believe they use during the harvest season. I remember seeing it being used as a child, just not recently. But I don't know whey they harvest tobacco. I don't have any in my garden :)

Unfortunately, blogger won't add more pics. So I'll have to do this as a series. Sheesh.