3.5 State Champions Team Osborn!!

My old 3.5 team had an amazing 2009 USTA season!

-They were in 7th place mid-season and had to win EVERY match to even make it to the 3.5 playoffs and THEY DID!

-During playoffs, they won the right to go to State by ONE court!

-During the State Championship, they came in 2nd place in their flight and entered the semi-finals with a best of record...by ONE COURT!

Here's my slideshow:

Harvest Beginnings

The community garden is getting fun. These are my cherry tomatoes & green beans. One of my garden neighbors gave me the squash squash and zucchini.



I'm so glad I devoted 1/4 of the garden to flowers. The giant Zinnia are thriving.

DIY-Shower door update

I'm proud to say we're on our way to DIY success, regarding the shower door.

I unpacked the kit last week & carefully studied the directions. Let's just say, the directions assume you already know quite a bit about shower door installation.

But, I figured it out and when Matt got home, we got started.

In about an hour, we were ready to hang the door. However, during the test run we discovered the door had about an inch gap. We were so careful during the installation, we assumed something was cut wrong.

And we were right!

The shower door guy came this morning and confirmed the small pane of glass was 1" too short. They're re-cutting the piece tonight and we'll pick it up tomorrow. Otherwise, he said we did a good job on the installation.

Yay us.

Matt's Birthday dinner is tonight & of course, he's golfing today.

Happy Father's Day!

I love this website:

Awkward Family Photos

What a great Dad...he takes naps!


And more naps....


You both still love your naps, but your jimmy legs require separate beds.

1st Blooms, Haircut, The Fair

I love Liatris. I would need a bunch to make a real visual impression in the garden, but they are awesome for my cutting garden concept. Nothing looks quite as dramatic, as a 2 foot Liatris bloom. And, they last 2-3 weeks.


I have about 5 clumps that look like this. I've got to remember to divide....


First blooms in my California Giant Zinnia. I can't wait to see these in their full glory.

See the wildflowers in the back....the first of the blue Delphinium. The while Phlox is also blooming.

This hot weather is awesome after so much rain.

Everything is green, lush and happy.



OMG! I kept seeing the signs for the Lyndon Fair.

It's like it was custom made for Devin.





She was asking about getting her face painted the whole time.

Keep in mind, it's right around 90 degrees with 99% humidity. The lady started by wiping Devin face of sweat. Poor Baby:)

Notice the soy sauce stains on her brand new Gymbo. She her standard....salad with ginger dressing, an entire order of California Rolls (minus the seaweed...still too hard to chew), a few edamame and some Sprite.








The rides were perfect for a 3 year old. Just fast enough to be exciting, not scary.




Devin got a serious haircut today. She lost about 3-4" of length and we thinned, to help her stay cool. I miss her long hair, but it's too hard in the summer. It's just SO thick. Her hair gets soaked in sweat during her naps, on the playground and just about all the time we do anything these days.

I'm temped to cut a little more, the next time. It's so much easier to comb.

DIY

I guess I have a new passion for Do-it-Yourself stuff.

While I was going after some scum, I realized the floor trim was rotting a bit at the bottom. One thing led to another and I had this:





In order to determine why water is getting on the floor, I started looking at the shower door very closely. I realized it was leaking underneath the threshold part.

So, we had to tear down the entire shower door/panel assembly.

I love a challenge. And, this will be one.

We're hoping to install the new shower door ourselves. It's basically gluing, screwing and caulking...we can do those things, right?

I'm trying to understand how to repair the hole. I think a mesh piece can fit over the space and looooooots of sanding.

First Movie--Sort of

The following is from an email to my Mom:

We made the journey to the Science Center, which was as unimpressive as I remember....but Devin was LOVING it! It was nearly empty of visitors, so it was a very fun morning.








We decided to try an Imax movie, since they had an 11:00 am showing of Animalopolis. The ladies assured me she would like it, although it's recommended 4-12 yrs.

Here's a clip.

She LOVED it:) It was whole new experience...entering the theater, finding a seat, looking at the HUGE screen. When it was time to start they had it pitch black for a good 30 seconds and she was perfect.

The movie itself was cute and she laughed, talked and commented throughout. It was 30 minutes long and she was restless right at the end. (Also she was getting hungry)

Right at the beginning, they ran an ad for the other Imax movie about the Ocean and she went, "WOW, Mama look at the ocean!" Also, she recognized the Blue Footed Boobie when they were showing their mating dance.

We ate at a great restaurant called "The Cafe", just off Broadway. Have you been there? Very cool decor and good lunch/brunch food....extremely busy and slow service, but we sat outside and a real train came by with the conductor waving. She was on cloud 9 and kept asking the name of the place. (I'm guessing she will request a return visit.) The decor is eclectic antiques...many of the things I glanced at, reminded me of your things. (Quilts, the white ceramic pitcher in a bowl, Depression glass) The must be known for their desserts, but I didn't even look:)


Oh, we went to the Zoo this week.

Rode the Butterfly:



Didn't ride the train for obvious reasons.

Story

Yeah. 12 families are suing the pants off the Zoo, saying the train was going way too fast. A 22 month old spent 3 weeks in the ICU...not cool. And, not good for oue Zoo. That's money going to lawyers and such, not the animals:(

It is scary, thinking about how many times we've been on that train. And, how the speed certainly varies by conductor.

Anyhoo.

Our Zoo trip was a play date of sorts...always fun times!



Here's the garden update:









Remember this?



Chloe's right foot is hurt. She's limping badly, but acting ok. We'll visit the Dr. tomorrow, hopefully.

The Liberal Greeting Card Conspiracy

I've only made one other political post in my little blog's history. And, this post isn't about my opinions....just an observation.

So, Dev and I went to get our friend a Birthday card. She suggests a Barack Obama card, which continues a running joke we all have together.

See, our friend is not a fan of Mr. Obama. In fact, he refers to him as, "Hussein." So, as a joke we bought our friend a Barack Obama commemorative plate.



He loved it so much, it's still on OUR mantel.

Anyway, I go to get a card. It should be easy right? There were entire sections Hallmark designated for anti-Bush cards. Maybe not anti-Bush, but definitely making fun of him.

I start at Kroger, during my regular grocery shopping. They have a big selection, as in a real grocery aisle full of cards.

Not ONE Obama card.

So, I make a SPECIAL TRIP to Walgreens, the mecca of greeting cards....and TWO Obama cards. One of which was anti-Bush.

I got him one with Obama on the front and it looks like he's signed it.

I'm sure it will stay with the plate.

June Visit

Devin was so excited to see her Papa and Grandma. She must have asked me 100 times when they were getting here.





As always, a musical time was had by all. It was hilarious to watch & hear.






We took them to see the garden & Devin's favorite adjacent park.


Unfortunately, both Matt and Ray were not feeling well. Matt caught Devin's sickness and feels awful. (Same exact symptoms...100 degree fever, cough, congestion, YUCK)

But, we still had a great time anyway. Ann, Dev and I visited the Farmer's Market and the cloth store. We cooked a yummy dinner and enjoyed visiting:)

Long Week

For the first time in awhile, Dev was sick for an entire week. Lots of fevers, cough and runny nose....the standard stuff.

Papa and Grandma are here this weekend & she is beyond thrilled.

Lots of pictures to come!