I Should Have Watched More "Little House on the Prairie"

Hurrican Ike caused our family and many others to be without power for 7 long days. And yes that means 7 days of NO school too!! Who would have thought that Louisville, Kentucky would be affected by 70 mph winds from a hurricane...a tornado yes but hurricane no!

I quickly learned several things during the power outage week:



1. I depend on the internet & computer way too much.

2. I should have spent more money on a gas stove when we built the house 3 years ago. Of course that is what I preferred but our budget would not allow it by the time we got to the kitchen.

3. I really enjoy a candle lit meal but rarely has our family done it.

4. I absolutely love Michael for the decision he made 3 years ago...he chose the gas water heater instead of the electric...we had HOT showers!

5. If you depend on candles for your only means of light for the duration of a week then you will need more than 3 large candles. We bought 7 more.

6. I forgot how much fun running around the golf course can be for kids with only flashlights to see their way. Of course we had some injuries but mainly you heard squeals of laughter.

7. "Kick the Can" is still one of my all time favorite outdoor games.

8. I have no idea how long it will be before I can look at an outdoor grill without feeling disgust...enough with the hotdogs & made up "grilled" food...ugh!

9. I really love electricity!!


Day 1-5 was not too bad besides losing all of our food in the frig & freezer. But on Day 6 & 7 our family decided enough was enough! We needed some real food and the closest place we could go was Michael's parent's houses in Lexington, KY. In just 75 minutes we had electricity & delicious home-cooked meals....thank you Mike & Pam!

Lily's Commercial Debut

Here is how Lily became a "star" without trying.

Michael had gone to Norton Commons on a Thursday night with the kiddos while I was out showing property. A scout was out milling about the crowd and stopped him to see if he would like to appear in a Norton Commons commercial with his children. Of course Katie and Lily overheard the conversation and got extemely giddy...so Michael said sure. They took a picture of him and the kids on the spot.

We were notified several days later of the time and date of the shoot. Unfortunately Michael had to be in Lexington that day so I had to fill in for him. And I could actually hear a hint of disappointment from the scout so I was really hesitant showing up. I think they really needed another man in the shoot.

So we showed up and they treated Katie, Lily, and Ben like stars (their perspective of course). They braided Lily's hair (she was smiling the whole time) and brushed Katie & Ben's hair. The look on their faces were priceless!

After a hour of set prep they starting shooting. Katie was playing soccer in the grass, Ben was riding his bike with another kiddo, and Lily was scooting down the sidewalk.

I had been warning them that they might not be in the commercial at all because sometimes the director cuts out shots so I think that helped a bit when the commercial was finally released.

As you can see in the commercial, Lily is the only one featured clearly. She is the girl on the scooter at the very end of the commercial. Katie and Ben can be seen in the background (we only know it is them because we were there) in one shot. But clearly Lily had the primo spot in Katie & Ben's opinion.

Lily is on cloud nine!

Here is the link: http://www.nortoncommons.com/events.asp?status=commercial

Funny Things Our Kiddos Have Said Recently...

Ben: "Mom, my favorite Star Wars movie is #4." Me: "Ooh, I saw that one when I was about your age. I wanted to be Princess Leah." Ben: "So you must have seen it in black and white." Me: "Huh??!"

Lily: "Mom did you know that if you don't have a door handle on your heart then Jesus cannot come in? He has to be invited by us." Me: Dumbfounded and asked her to tell me more!

Ben: "Mom, can you call Mr. Ricky (the bus driver)and tell him that you don't want me to sit with troublemakers?"

Katie: Well I don't have much from her because of her "maturity." She says "OMG" a lot and that stands for "oh my gosh" for those of you that do not have a preteen.