Indiana or Bust

Another year, another Krazy Kramer Reunion.  We had a great crowd this year! I think the only one missing from this picture is little Evan, who was napping. I'll have to photoshop him in later. :)

(I love it, check out "Hulk", bottom right) 

Every year before diggin' into lunch, everyone gathers in a circle to say grace and then each family has an opportunity for announcements. This year there was a new marriage, a new house for Pam and Dale, a new baby for Andrea and David, new jobs for Julie and Matt, and we even had one that announced he had joined up to serve our country.

...and you thought your mother-in-law was tough! :)

My little Godson, Zach. :) mmmmm...cupcakes.

Megan was a winner in bocce ball – prize being the hat...

Yea Megan!

The newest member of the clan, Evan.

How cute is he! 

Also in the family news, Grampa recently turned 80 years old. The numbers are in, he received 53 birthday cards! Can you imagine!

After the big picnic, we went back to the hotel so the kids could swim, then to Ben and Mary's where a card game quickly erupted. I was the biggest loser, being the first one out in a game of quarters. My firstborn redeemed us though by winning the game and collecting the big $11 pot. Go Alex!

Alright, seeing as how I cannot seem to sleep in hotel rooms - I am now thoroughly exhausted and am going to bed! Good night everybody!

People Are So Cool!

My great friend Heather Sullivan sent this to me this morning, and it is just too awesome not to share. 

A Little "Ha Ha" for Your Weekend

We're getting ready to hit the road to Oaktown, Indiana for the yearly Kramer Family Reunion. WoooooooooHoooooooooo! Let me tell you, the Kramer's are KRAZY! This is my husbands family, and they are a fun and competitive group. Always lots of games and contests, and nobody in this family is going to "let the kids win" anything! You've got to earn yours in this family!

Anyway, had some great stuff in my inbox this morning so I'm going to share it with you because it is FUNNY!

Here we go - you know you have some photos just like this hiding in a drawer somewhere... now you can send them here and provide laughs for others. You must check out the Sexy People blog!

Also for your viewing pleasure – this came to me from the Print blog (a design blog)

Crazy right! Believe it or not, there is a "World Beard and Mustache Championship". Click here to see more of this madness.

Poor Little Fella...

Awwwwww! Look at the little hummingbird that's trapped in my garage – I have no idea how to help him get out. He just keeps flying up and bumping into the ceiling like the wasps do.  :( Poor guy! Anyone have any ideas? (and yes, the door is open!)

No Honey, There Should Definitely NOT Be Flames in the Microwave...

These are words you never want to hear come from your child's mouth, ever. I promised not to reveal the identity of the child who microwaved a frozen dinner roll for 3 minutes, setting it aflame. We'll just say that her name rhymes with "flegan". 

Can I tell you how good our kitchen smelled for the next 2 hours?

WE ARE PIGS!

We didn't really know we were pigs, we just had a feeling that our vacuum wasn't picking up like it used to – it is nearly 15  years old ya know. So yesterday morning Eric runs to Sam's to get a new one. Even at twice the price of any other vacuum in stock, we still opted to get the Dyson. If I'm going to be pushing this sucker (pun intended) around for the next 15 years...I want a good one. 

OH MY GOODNESS! Not exaggerating at all, we had to dump the container at least 5 times after vacuuming just the downstairs. This is after I had just vacuumed the day before. (with oldie) I'll spare you the pictures of the funk that came up from our carpet, it makes me shudder anyway. Just know that I'll be a walking commercial for this thing. 

My only complaint is how STUPID it looks. I mean really - it looks like something from The Jetsons. As a matter of fact, I have already named it Rosie.

Look how ridiculous...

Meet Rosie...

The Magic Basket

nem•e•sis |'nemesis\ n. the inescapable or implacable agent of someone's downfall.

Yes, that sounds about right.  Nemesis. 

How does this happen? There are four very average size people living in this house. It is not winter, so the sheer size of the pile cannot be attributed to the bulk of sweaters or sweatshirts. I KNOW that I just emptied this basket yesterday. Really. There is still a load of towels in the dryer as proof. Yet here it is, again. My laundry basket is magic. It can turn pure air into piles of dirty clothing. Take that David Copperfield!

*side note - If you have not yet rented the movie Smart People, don't.

Please Don't Call the Department of Child Services!

Okay, so we're trying to get ready to leave for our road trip to Chattanooga (Cleveland to be exact) at the CRACK OF DAWN. I put Cole down for 5 seconds in the driveway while his Dad puts in the car seat and loads in the diaper bags. Throw in the kid, hit the road. A few minutes later I turn around to see what he's doing... check the feet people!

(yes, that's a gigantic yawn :) poor baby is like his aunt Brandi - we don't do mornings!)

McBush

Waaaaaaaay too funny not to share! This photo is courtesy of Print Magazine's daily blog, The Daily Heller.

Yet Another Shameless Plug

I can't help it that my clients are awesome!

Meet Scott! He is the pickiest client I have ever had. We must have gone through 50 logos before we got it JUST the way he wanted it. This man knows what he wants! 

I tell you this because he carries that same picky attitude to work with him every day. We hired Scott to paint our two stairwells and the upstairs hallway (which involved some very high ceilings and a little scaffolding) - and let me tell you, he is METICULOUS! Absolute attention to every detail. The man filled even the tiniest microscopic nicks in our walls so that his paint job looked PERFECT. If you are in need of a professional, and I do mean professional painter - Scott is your man! You can find his number below.

Letters Home

Hey everybody!

Just wanted to share with you a cd project that was recently completed for David Gibson. He is an awesome songwriter and musician from Knoxville. If you're into Americana/Bluegrass style music, you're going to love this guy! You can hear some of his songs and purchase his cd through his myspace page. www.myspace.com/davidwgibson.

It's Here! First Day of School 2008!

It's here! It's finally here! The first day of school, and I couldn't be happier! :)

Look how much the girls have grown over this last year! My babies...

Pray!

My grandfather is in his last hour of heart surgery this morning, and all is going well so far.
Please say a prayer for his surgeon and staff, as well as for his recovery which will be long.

Thank you!!!

***Update: He's just come out of surgery and everything looks really good. He'll be in intensive care for a couple days - so keep those prayers coming!***

Gimme Five

Up high. Down low. Too slow! Tell me this is not the coolest dog in the world. Oh, how I love my puppy!

By the way, Alex is the sole dog trainer in this house. She has taught Casey to sit, lay down, crawl, and now to high five. I have the coolest kids in the world too.

Deja Vu

Going for a record here, two posts in one day - but I couldn't resist this one. Megan was sitting at the table eating her giant sucker, and when I looked up at her I was thrown back 11 years...

New Banner for The Lilac Cottage!

Hey Hey Hey everybody! Just finished my first design request for a blog banner. (well, the first one for a client - I've done several for myself and friends...) What fun! She wanted something whimsical with lots of color - I think we rocked it! She's a local artist and will be selling her wares through the site soon. You should check out her blog for the music alone! She's the one who turned me on to my new favorite of all time - Jack Johnson. Visit her here!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Okay, so I'm a couple days late...you don't check the blog every day anyway! :)

Whew! What a handsome fella! And who is that little angel you're holding? We haven't changed a bit, have we? If we have, I sure can't tell the difference...

Good Stuff!

After getting my computers up and running again today (long story), I was deleting a ton of old emails and ran across these gems. Just thought I'd share...

"Why You Should Never Let Your Mother-in-Law Order the Wedding Invitations"