iHate iTunes

Yes, I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I should be saying how truly thankful I am for healthy kids, a good marriage, and great friends. Really, I am grateful for all those things. But trying to do anything on iTunes just riles me up.

Let's get one thing straight, however. I love iPods. I love them! I am, at heart, a gadgety girl and if I could own one of every blackberry, iPhone, palm device, MP3 player, iPod, video camera, digital camera I WOULD! Alas, time, space, and money do not allow. So, I must be content with one blackberry (whom I am in loooove with) and one shared iPod "teensy" that I got for Drew two Christmases ago. (Hint to those who care: all I want for Christmas is my own iPod.)
Anyway, did Apple make iTunes difficult to use on non-Mac computers? Like, on purpose? I installed it onto my new computer, and POOF! all my old music was not there. Just like that. What technology can do these days! And, all the tutorials on iTunes are for much more technical issues than just simply finding my stuff. Or, how to get iTunes to even come on. That is itself a miracle.
So, I love the concept of itunes, and I love that it gives me an excuse to buy more little electronic devices for which I really, frankly, have no use. I wish the darn thing were easier to use and understand.
So there.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Ballet class

Miss Jenny's free ballet class at the church has ended--Miss Jenny is due with her third child in February, and she's going on "maternity leave." We have enjoyed taking her class; she's a great teacher and a nice lady. Emma's friend Belle even went with us a few times. Very fun! I snapped these pics last night at the last class. Check out Miss Jenny (at 6 months pregnant!) doing her big jump!!

Christmas parade

My parents and I took the kids to the Roseville Christmas parade this morning! Their favorite parts were the police motorcycles, and the fire trucks. Emma and Elsa enjoyed seeing all the girl scout troops--they start Daisy Girl Scouts in December. :)

Carrie's way

Okay, so I was reading another blog (Crazy Aunt Purl) and she blogged about getting a ticket. It made me think of a funny story:
My friend Carrie got pulled over as a teenager, for speeding. Thinking quickly, she turned off the radio, rolled her window down, and proceded to pretend she was deaf! (Carrie is now, and was then, fluent in sign language--her best friend since early childhood was deaf.) Of course the cop stopped in his tracks. Her signs and "deaf talk" utterly bewildered him. He shouted "Slow down! Go home!" handed her license back, and left in a cloud of dust.

Now, I'm not condoning this type of behavior, and neither does Carrie (now a mother of three!) but every cop to whom I have related this story agrees--run for the hills seems to be the only course of action.

Good luck out there during Thanksgiving travel time! Stay safe, and keep that radio off.

What they do when I'm not home

I had to go to a meeting at the school, so Drew was "in charge." Apparently they had guitar lessons. :) And, yes, that is my husband ironing a sheet.

This is the kind of stuff I come home to.

Halloween 2008

We went trick-or-treating with the Burns family. It only rained a little bit, and Drew was able to come home early and join us! Thanks to my mom and dad for staying at my house and handing out candy. I painted the girls' faces, but Evan wanted none of it. He went as a two-year-old boy. :) We missed a few houses in the neighborhood because my girls thought they looked too scary, but we still ended up with a ton of candy!

Elsa's b-day

Elsa turned 5 on November 2nd! With the wait for the new computer, I was delayed in getting photos up. She picked her friend Jessica from kindergarten, and we had a little riding lesson the night before her actual birthday. Then, on her birthday, my parents and Drew's sister and her kids came over for cake and ice cream. Yum!

Today's ride

I had a make-up riding lesson today, because Hank was being a butt head yesterday and ignoring me--and Krystin. Not a good boy! But, oh so handsome.

Today Hank was totally filthy when we went to get him from the pasture...he had rolled in mud. Lovely. Krystin rode Francis with us, and that seemed to help Hank be more confident and relaxed. He responded quickly and calmly. We had a great ride! Until...

Hank saw some poles lying outside the arena, poles which we had already passed about six times, but they were on the other side (we had switched directions) so now they were scary poles. I was riding along, not paying attention, grooving on the fact that I was riding a horse and having a good time, when WHOOSH! Hank sidestepped, tried to turn, and tried to back up all at once. I lost my balance a little, hunched forward which is a big no-no, and squealed like a little girl. Also not a good idea. It took me a couple of seconds to get myself together and tell him "whoa" and sit deeply in the saddle. When I did, he responded quickly and calmed down. So, partially my fault for not responding quickly enough in the right way, and partly Hank's fault for being a big sissy. Of course I felt like a complete moron. Sometimes I get frustrated with taking only one lesson a week--seems like it will take forever to get any skills at all. Family budget be damned! :)

Then I went to Whole Foods for groceries and got myself a big candy bar. All is well. :)

Its' fall!

Finally! Finally it feels cooler, wetter, and windier outside. Yay! I made a pecan pie for myself the other day, and some pumpkin pies for Drew. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's one of my favorite holidays. It's centered around food--how awesome is that? Sounds tailor-made for me.

We're still riding the horses, I'm getting much better. The girls, too. School is going well for the girls. Emma is reading so well it astounds us, and is proving to be very good at math--she did not get that from me. Elsa is still adjusting to the afternoon kindergarten schedule, some evenings falling asleep on the couch before dinner and sleeping until 6 the next morning! Her reading and writing continue to get better! Evan is being, well, Evan. He's taken to climbing up the drawer fronts to get on top of my counters and destroy things. He's also talking up a storm, his favorite phrase being "Stop it mommy!" seconded by "Emma, Elsa, c'mon!" I need a drink.

Drew is still at the capital, and still enjoying his new car. No motorcycle yet, since all his time is being eaten by the construction of ManLand. *sigh*

We ordered a new computer (laptop) from HP, should get it by the end of the month. I can't wait! It will be quite a change from the dinosaur laptop we have now.

Have a great weekend!