Finally got some....

...of the best ice cream....Edy's Pumpkin.  My friend Julie, who is stationed in Hawaii, kept raving about this ice cream.  I could not find it at Market Basket but George picked some up at WalMart.  It is excellent - smooth, creamy and only 4 grams of fat per serving - it is like a pumpkin pie milkshake!

While taking this picture I tried to make the photo interesting and fancied myself as one of those food stylists on the Food Network.  I actually grabbed a fake wheat centerpiece thing I have on my buffet and tried to work it into the photo.  So foolish!  It did not look good at all and I could not "work it".  So, here is my plain vanilla picture of the pumpkin ice cream. 

Try it...I bet you'll like it!

Colin - Hanging with the Superstars!

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law Colin went to a friend's wedding. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were two of the guests in attendance. I briefly mentioned this on my last post and and it caught the attention of some folks. Here are some pictures I hijacked from Colin's Facebook site.

Colin's brush with fame happened like this - his good friend from VT went to Tufts University. Colin's friend met a girl and fell in love. The friend's girlfriend, also from Tufts, was good friends with Jessica Biel. I believe Jessica went to Tufts for a year or two but the two stayed friends. And so when Colin's buddy got married - JT and Jessica were on the guest list.

Colin did talk with JT. They shared a few words as they headed up to watch the cake cutting!

Questions People Never Ask

Here is another blog tag from my blogger friends!

When is the last time you ran? Today.

What are you dreading right now? Going back to work on Monday.

Do you eat raw cookie dough? Yes, delicious.

Have you ever kicked a vending machine? No.

How do you eat Oreos? I love them and don't keep them in house because I have been known to eat more than 8 at a sitting.

Are you cocky? No, but I desire to be a bit more cocky and confident.

Could you live without a computer? No, need to be connected.

Do you wear your shoes in the house? No, but love to wear comfy socks.

Who or what sleeps with you? Initially just George, but then Benny ends up in bed too.

How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? 3 house phones, 2 cell phones.

What do you do when you're sad? Cry, I cry very easily

Who would you call first if you won the lottery? George and then my Mom and Dad to discuss purchasing a family vacation compound.

What jewelry are you wearing? Pearl earrings from my Grandma, necklace from Black and White House Market, wedding ring, engagement ring and another ring George gave me. And I say I am not a jewelry girl!

What's the first thing you do when you get online? Check the blog.

How do most people spell your name? Jackie but don't ask folks to spell my real name Jacquelyn.

Where do you work? UNH.

What are you doing tomorrow? Taking Benny to soccer and then house cleaning and chores.

Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? Let's hope he does not freak out like Michael. My brother-in-law Colin was just at a wedding where Justin Timberlake was a guest. Here is a picture taken by Colin of the singing sensation at his friend's wedding.

Favorite name for a girl? Abbigail.

Favorite name for a boy? Jacob.

When was the last time you left your house? Just got home from attending a jewelry party in the neighborhood.

Do you return your cart? Yes, I always follow the rules.

Would you survive in prison? I would try my best.

If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would most likely over pack? This is easy - Julie. She is always over packs and usually gets in trouble for it. Like the time she tried to bring a hammer and staple gun in her carry on bag.

Do you know anyone with the same name as you? Not many folks.

What's the last thing you purchased? Raffle tickets.

Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you. Michele - yes. Elizabeth not so much.

What brand are your pants right now? Ann Taylor Loft jeans.

What irritates you most on the Internet? People who spread hate.

Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? I have some great Ralph Lauren Rocks that Jacob picked out. He picked it out because the perfume bottle is orange.

Do you get your hair cut every month? I get it colored every 8 weeks but go longer between haircuts.

Do you go online everyday? Yes, oh yes!

10 Days to the 5K

On Saturday, October 11th I am going to run in the 5K road race at UNH homecoming. I have never been a runner. Until recently you would hear me tell people "I can't run." I have never competed in a race before either - unless you count track in elementary school when I was kicked off the relay team. (The horror!)

All of this changed in August when I watched my sister Michele compete in the Tri for a Cure triathlon. She inspired me to commit to exercising and to motivate myself by planning to run in a race. And now the time is almost here. I paid my entry fee and have a little more than a week to make sure I am ready.

I know I can run the distance (3.1 miles) but I am worried about finishing last or taking way too long. I plan to run the course for the first time this Sunday and time myself to see how I do. I am excited and nervous but this is a good thing for me and has kept me motivated.

Here is the course at UNH:

My Attic

I decided it was time to finally straighten out the attic.  Our attic is the #1 storage location in our house.  It is quite large so there is room for almost anything you may need to store. Unfortunately my typical routine is to place something in the attic with the intention of then going up later to sort through it, organize the items and then properly store them.  This rarely happens so the attic becomes a messy catch-all for anything and everything.  

So, here is the attic after 4 hours or dedicated straightening, sorting and tossing things in the trash.  I probably should have taken a before picture so folks could appreciate how much better it looks.  Sad, yes very sad.  I think I still have many more hours ahead of me before this chore is completed!

Do you see the giant SpongeBob in the corner overseeing things?  I won him years ago at the Stratham Fair on the bottle/ring toss game.  I don't usually win anything at fairs so I was very proud of myself.  I have tried many times to get rid of him but the kids always find out what I am trying to do and demand that SpongeBob stays!  

Up at 4:45 am!

For some reason Jacob and Ben  both woke up at 4:45 am this morning ready to go!   It is great they are excited to start the day, but 4:45 am is out of control.  They are almost self-sufficient in the morning, except for Benny's constant migration back to our bedroom - to get a drink, to use our bathroom, to ask me questions or to climb into bed to then toss and turn and kick me.   We have put a moratorium on video games until 6:00 am but that does not stop them.  What am I to do?  Good thing I have some tried and true concealer for the dark circles under my eyes!  

One last thought -  it is only 7:45 am and my kids have already been up for three hours....that is wrong, very, very wrong.  

Competent

The definition of competent is:

1. having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified: He is perfectly competent to manage the bank branch.

2. adequate but not exceptional.

Tonight at dinner, Benny said he was competent at splitting apart his peanut butter and fluff sandwich. Yes, Benny was having a sandwich for dinner because I made turkey paninis and Benny does not like them.

So, while eating, he said - "I am competent at this." I had to laugh and ask where he learned this word. He said at school. I then asked what it meant and he said "it means I am talented at something." So, evidently they are teaching kids quite a bit at kindergarten these days!


Benny demonstrating his competent behavior...


Very pleased with his abilities...