Pink Bunny Pajamas

Two nights and two days at the beach and DD was either in her bathing suit or her pink bunny pajama bottoms. She even went out on the beach in them. This is definately my DD who used to ask me to paint each nail a different color.

My own little Pipi Longstocking.

By D

Hint: Shut the Window when you come to a Sprinkler

Ok, funny DD story. We were driving to the grocery store. Unfortunately, my car does not have a/c, so my windows were open a bit. As we are coming to a light, I can see the road is wet as the sprinklers for a commercial lawn cycle they are over spraying the road. I know that she sees it too. We get closer. I expect her to shut the window - Tch, Tch, Tch the sprinkler pivots. It hits the hood of the car. The window is still open. Tch, Tch, Tch in the window and in the face. . . Mind you that she looked very stylish in her blinging black diamond eyeglasses, but she was soaked. I was very glad that she took it in stride. We all laughed and laughed.

Showing Day

Today was one of those chaotic days . . . only because Mom was stressing about the house looking PERFECT today for the people to look at our house. The house was fine and looked really good, but Mom didn’t think so. After about 1 ½ hours of power cleaning my mom took me to the library so I could do Book Buddies. After my mom picked me up we (Mom, J, Max, James and I) went down to some public open space. We played there for an hour with the dogs. As we were driving home my mom asked, “ Do you think they went? “ (see our second showing was postponed due to a family emergency of the real estate agent. -: : ) :-Only to reschedule and to say that our house was too small.)

“Mom, I have a feeling that they went and LOVED IT” (you know those type of feelings?) “Plus, if they put in an offer on the house, I will wear this necklace every day of the showings.” (See I combined two necklaces from my grandmother – the shoe /heart is one and the chain is another one. The chain for the shoe / heart is broken, so I put it on this one.)

My mom only laughed. As of 8:03, August 26th, 2008, there is no word from our real estate agent. But there is proof that they were here. Downstairs there were size 11 men’s workboot footprints in the rug. I hope they liked the house.

By C

Wake Up Wednesdays

Ok, here is the fun. Every Wednesday’s post will have something hidden in it. Your job is to find it. Once you find it don’t tell other people. The farther along we get the harder it is going to be. Today’s post will have -:: ):- Good Luck!

By C

Cake Wrecks

I'm sure we have all screwed up a cake in some way or some how . . .Like having the top two layers fall off? We'll here is a blog that my mom found. This site Cake Wrecks is devoted to showing cakes with issues. If you need a laught go look at cakes that could be better. I hope you enjoy. : )

By C

"Like having the top two layers fall off" - - -Hmmm! that seems very specific. I wonder if that happened to anyone DD knows. (She actually won first prize with that cake too --- a very long but funny story)

The best thing about this site is sharing it with someone. I looked at it once by myself, but laughed even harder when I shared it with her. We also enjoyed It's Lovely! I'll Take it!

By D

Are you 2?

I am beginning to see huge similarities between two year olds and thirteen year olds, especially as it relates to independence and temperament. Remember when they were two and you incessantly heard “No. Me Do!” The words may be slightly different now, but the defiance is the same. And while the tantrum may not be on the floor, the rolling of the eyes and the slamming of doors sure sends the same message. On the positive side, Moms, this means we’ve been through this stage before. We survived it once, we can do it again.

My greatest reassurance lately comes from SuperNanny and Nanny 911 as they give mothers of two year olds advice. I have taken to watching the show even though my children are well older than most of the children they work with. Their advice to remain calm cannot be reiterated enough. Also, if the kids watch it with me, they are old enough to see how foolish the behaviors appear. I personally get a good laugh when they comment how silly a child looks when they XYZ which is exactly the same behavior my children had showed 15 minutes earlier.

Of course, I am not faultless. The other thing that this show reminds me is that I need to spend more time with the children. Time to shut off the tv, close out the computer, and do something with the kids.

A Coffee Treat

DD was gaining extra points today when she bought be me a coffee as we were out doing errands. I didn't ask. I didn't expect it. She went in the gas station to pay for our gas (it is significantly cheaper if you pay in cash) and bought me a coffee with her own money and then the sweetie appologized for it only being a medium and not a large.

How could she have been any kinder?

Ok, if it was a Starbucks Chai, but we don't have that around here.

PS. Jack and Diane is by John Mellencamp, DD.

Song for you Funeral

Today on the radio, Courtney of 95.7FM was asking what song you wanted played at your funeral. She would only accept funny answers of she would hang up.

Later in the day as the kids and I were driving around checking out towns, "I am a warrior" by Scandal came on the radio. DD delcared, "Mom, here's your funeral song." I personally took it as a complement and gave her a high five.

My own choice would have been "Spirit in the Sky". It may no reach Courtney's funny factor, but I love its high spiritedness.

Do you have a song that you would like . . .not the traditional hymns, but one that would be a little funny?

Peach Tea

In honor of our blog name, today we picked up some peach tea bags at the grocery store. What makes it even better is that we got them on sale. Have you ever noticed the racks tucked in the back corners of your grocery store – the discount or day old racks – sometimes they have dented cans. Deals. Deals. Deals. And if there is one thing that DD and I have in common, it is our love of a good shopping deal. We found tea and some yummy coffee flavors including Chocolate Raspberry . . .I just could not resist.

Peach is such a refreshing flavor. I especially love peach tea iced.

Moving Won't be So Bad

How can you explain to someone who has never experience a move that they will resettle and be ok?

This move seems so shocking to the kid’s system because they know nothing else. Both DH & I grew up in this town. We lived elsewhere for a few years but only by a town line or two and truthfully we only slept there, we still lived here. We moved back when DD was just shy of two and I was pregnant with DS. This town is all they have known.

They are somewhat excited about a new house and more land, but they are horrified by the idea of new Scout troops and new churches (as evidenced by DD’s entry “My Church”). She cannot fathom that although it will be different at first, it may be even better than it is here. DS doesn’t seem to understand the implication of moving. Every so often he’ll come out with a comment like “when we enter the fair” or “when I get my Eagle Scout with the Troop”.

Of course, even I must admit I’m a little apprehensive.

Have any of you endured moving to another state? How have you made it easier for your children? If you have any stories about “surviving” a move, let us know.

Happy Birthday, Max!

A couple of months ago, my mom bought Max, our Bernese Mountain dog, this colorful, squeaky thing.

All of a sudden it went missing and no one could find it. A couple of weeks later my mom and my brother went to the same store to get some pet food. While they were there they found a thick black and green rope toy with a tennis ball on it.


Mom and my brother came back and gave it to Max . . . I guess that fixed the lost toy situation.

Today on Max’s 1st birthday, my cat, Bandit hit a golf ball that my brother found on his canoe trip off the coffee table and under the couch. My brother groaned so I got up to get it for him. I pushed the couch forward thinking it would have rolled to the back . . .I looked under and I saw Max’s long lost toy!!! I cleaned all the dust off and called max over. Once I showed it to him, he grabbed it, ran into the other room, and started playing with it. I guess that is his birthday present.

Happy Birthday, Max!

By C

My Church

Okay, okay it isn’t my church, but I qualify it as my church. My mom and dad were married in that church, I was baptized in that church, I grew up in that church, and I even spent over 5 summers a total of 1 month 1 week with the 40 odd number or people that went to the Kentucky Summer Trip (including the minister) from our church.

In my church, we get confirmed at 9th grade (being confirmed means that you become a member of our church and afterward you can take communion). With the recent new about my dad taking a job up in Massachusetts and selling our house, I told my mom there has to be a way for me to be confirmed in “my church”. Once our minister Elven heard the news about us leaving, he told me that he would be glad to allow me into the confirmation class a year early as long as I was able to be confirmed at the church. My mom told Elven that we would think about it. I don’t know why she makes the decision since she is already confirmed and all of that, but this is me we are talking about. I am going to get confirmed in “MY CHURCH” as I call it. I then told my mom that I will use her laptop with the webcam and go via webcam to get confirmed. My mom and I then have a conversation in the Car.

“What happens if Elven doesn’t have a Webcam??”

“I will buy a $20 webcam for him and he will download it……or I will ship your laptop down every Wednesday to him and I will use dad’s laptop and we would use the built in webcam. Plus you were married in this church, I was baptized in this church, I grew up in this church, I have spent 1 month 1 week of time with most of the church, I will get confirmed, and my husband will suck it up and we will get married in that church, and my funeral will be at that church.”


My mom only laughed, a couple days later my mom and I are in the van and she brings up that she might take Elven’s offer for letting me go into confirmation class. I just looked at her like ‘I was going to do that no matter what’. Right now Elven is away, but I told her that once he gets back I will either tell him in person at church, or I would email him to let him know. I can’t wait until Elven gets back. I want to be confirmed in my church……..and now I can!!! : )

Is the Water Boiling Yet?

DD just received a practical physics lesson. She is trying to cook ravioli before she heads off for teen night at the middle school, but the pot was taking forever to boil.

I kept asking, “Is the burner on?” She would check.

“It is hot but not boiling.”

She must have come to me two or three times, it seemed odd, but she is old enough to troubleshoot.

After 44 minutes, she came to me again. This time I got up to check. This was impossible. Well, apparently not really. The pot was just beginning to bubble. I was very concerned that we had burned an element or the stove’s electrical system had somehow been hit in the thunderstorm that had blown through just hours ago. Then I looked more carefully. She had the big pot on the smallest burner.

Lesson: You can’t boil in a cauldron, if you only have it lit with a match.

Energy emitted from a small burner is not equal to the energy needed to boil a large pot of water.

By, D

God Has a Plan

My mom and I got home today from my volunteer work at the local library and as my mom turned her laptop on and checked her email: there was a house that my dad loved. It was a log cabin, but my parents can’t buy any of the houses until ours sells, but my mom looks at the log cabin that was perfect and now it is even more. It dropped 50k!! My mom was sad. She really likes this house and we can’t afford to own two houses and two mortgages and all of that type of stuff, so I told her that if God really wanted us to own that house then he would have a plan in someone else’s life to come and buy ours.

See I go by God has a plan written out for you. He makes these issues….(i.e. houses)…….in our life and we need to choose the path that we want to take. See this time we can’t buy the house. So I guess we are stuck in out raised ranch for a couple more months. But what if God had someone come down our road and offer and we take it, would we then buy the log cabin??? Who knows, but God has the plan written out and in your past, present, and future events. You will get to them always. You might just take a couple detours, or you might not take the straightest road, but you will get there. God can only straighten a road to a point. Does not God promise that He will help you make most things easier when you believe in him and you trust him that you will follow his paths and guide that he made for you.

With the house selling and having the “perfect” house lowering 50k , if God really wants us to buy that house, he would show us and so far he hasn’t. Maybe we weren’t meant to own that house.


By, C

We're International

Just wanted to let you all know that today while I was checking out our counter to see how many people have come on and when they came on, I saw that on Tuesday, August 12th we went international. We had someone from South Africa check out our blog!!! I am sooo happy and I want to thank that person for coming and checking out our blog. I hoped you liked it!!!

By C

Titanic Exhibit at the XL Center

Today I went to the Civic Center to see the Titanic Exhibition. The Titanic always has fascinated me and I love to learn more and more about it. Today, my mom and my grandfather went with me to see the exhibition on the Titanic. As we descended down the stairs (after we bought our tickets) to the exhibit I wait for my mom and grandfather to catch up with me. We bought the audio tour……which I was really happy that we got because it explained everything that we were seeing. When we started, we were given a boarding of an actual person who went on the Titanic. At the end of the exhibit, we got to see if our person survived.

As we walked around I was amazed to see how many artifacts they have brought up from the wreck. There were some playing cards; plates from 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class; there were the ropes and pulleys……there were a lot of artifacts that you would think would not survive. Right before the end, they recreated the iceberg and you could touch it to see how cold it was. Let me tell you it was COLD!!! Now I can see how so many people died from hypothermia. I felt like I could die right there and then if I held my hand there for a while. Just think of the people in the colder ocean.









Once we all made it to the end I looked for my person: Miss Kate Florence Phillips (aka Kate Marshall). . . .She was 19 in 2nd class (which in other ocean liners would be 1st class) and pregnant. She survived. My mom had Dr. Alice Leader age 49 in 1st class Cabin D-17 and she also survived. My grandfather had Colonel Archibald Gracie 4th in 1st class cabin C-51 and he also survived. I was amazing to see who lived and who died. So many Crew and 3rd class didn’t make it. It was amazing!!! I loved that exhibit and I can’t wait until they find more artifacts!

By C

A Game Called Life

With the men away, DD have been finding ways to spend time together and reunite with old friends. As she knows that I have about had it with the game of Spit, she recommended the game of Life. We played yesterday and today. Yesterday, I played a respectful game. I started with college, got married, bought a house, had children and LOST MISSERABLY! Today, I changed my tactic. I skipped school and started my career, got married (there are no options to that), lived in my car, remained childless, and CHRUSHED HER : ) What a great life lesson ; ) at least we had fun.



What games do you and your daughter enjoy playing?

Sleepover Report from C

One of my BFF (Best Friend Forever) had a Birthday party this past weekend. 6 of her closest friends (aka VIP) were going to go laser tagging at A New World in Middletown. It was fun to play. We played two games. The last one, I got 3rd place. Her dad then drove us all back to her house to meet up with the rest of her friends and go swim in her pool.

Around 8:00pm, we all got out, had some Pizza, and she opened her presents. Well, my present was going to be a heart necklace from Icing……. (Store in the mall.) But we never got to the mall. So my family and I were at Cabela’s in East Hartford and my mom goes “How about you get Eva a gift here?”

“Mom, Eva probably doesn’t even know what Cabela’s is. Plus she wouldn’t like anything here.”

“She isn’t dumb C. she probably knows what Cabela’s is. Let’s look!”

Well once I got to my friend’s party and she was opening my gift, she looked at the two shirts I got her. And asked the question that I wanted to hear:

“Hey C. where did you get these?”

“I got them at Cabela’s why?”

“Where?”

“Cabela’s Eva. Do you know what that is?”

“No, is it in the mall?”

“No, it’s not.”

I almost laughed, but I didn’t. Only one other person knew what Cabela’s is and that was my friend, Sydney, but she is outdoorsy like us…….and her father is a police man and she goes there with her father all the time.

Once all the boys left, the girls all ran downstairs and we danced and played truth and dare……….which was really funny. Then we sent a Get Well Soon video to Donny. He came to the party, but got sick and was leaving for Canada the next day.

We then watched Camp Rock and went for a midnight swim. Right before we went to sleep Eva came over and asked what Cabela’s is, I simply told her what is was and she asked why they had such cute clothes for that type of store. I just looked at her and laughed. We went to bed around 1:00am and then woke up at 9:00am…….8 hours of sleep……….not good to function on.

My mom came to pick me up at 12:00. The first thing I said as I got into the car was……

“I was right!!! Eva didn’t know what Cabela’s is!!!”

My mom just looked at me and then was just like “you asked her if she knew or not” type of look. I just looked at her then we laughed a little and just drove back to the church, so I could say bye to my dad and brother………they were leaving for a 50 mile Boy Scout Canoe trip.

By, C

An introduction of me : )

Well let’s start off with my name. My name is C……or……DD because that is how I go by in the blog. I have been homeschooled since 2nd grade and I love it : ) I am what most people call horse crazy and an animal lover…….I have 3 pets: 2 dogs and 1 cat. The cat’s name is Bandit, and he loves to eat flowers………including flowers that are gifts. I also have a Bernese mountain dog puppy named Max. He is the cutest, and then there is the Keeshond named James. He is 12 in human years. I love country music. My favorite singer is Randy Travis.

Interests: Acting, Reading, Talking on the phone, Going to the beach, Dancing, Talking to friends, Sleepovers, YPCCA, Horses, Jonas Brothers, Dogs, Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Acting, Reading, Talking on the phone, Going to the beach, Dancing, Talking to friends, and Sleepovers

Favorite Music: Jonas Brothers, Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stefani, Grease, and another Pop, or Country

Favorite Movies/T.V.Shows: Jonas Brothers Living the Dream, Survivor, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Legally Blonde the Search for the Next Elle Woods, Made, Catching up with the Kardashinaisns, the Secret Life of an American Teenager, Legally Blonde 1 & 2, Harry Potter, Camp Rock, Bring it on 1, 2 ,& 3, Mama Mia, and Grease 1& 2

Books: The Lightning Thief, Harry Potter, Missing Persons, The Circle of Blood, The Christopher Killer, The Angel of Death, and Lush……….and more to come : )

Left to Our Weakness

There are a lot of things that my dd and I are good at. We can conquer a lot together, but the hardware of technology is not our forte. But today, we conquered this field.

I have been planning to watch The Good Earth tonight after I finished the book. But as I popped in the DVD, I saw the picture, but had no sound. I started to grumble at my husband who had now left for a canoe trip with the Boy Scout Troop. He had hooked up his computer to show us the YouTube version of The Last Lecture. And while it was certainly a worthy show for our whole family to watch, I was not feeling very thankful when my evening was being spoilt. So I pulled out the DVD / VCR to look at the connections (as if I knew what I was looking at – HA!). Two connectors, a red and a yellow where not plugged in, but where to put them? I made a best guess, but nothing. Tried something else – nothing. Ok, I’ve got to move the tv. DD needed to be called. I hollered down the hall. Sure enough when we were able to pull out the tv, there were three connections undone. Hmmm! We tried a couple of times but to no avail. Now, I could get sound, but I lost picture. I swore at my husband under my breath for not putting it back in order. I put the tv back and dismissed my dd. I gave up and sat down. But not to let this situation get the best of me, I quickly called her back. We would not be defeated! She helped me pull out the tv again. We fiddled, replugged, changed the AV channel and SUCCESS – picture and sound. My evening was back on track.

After all was said and done, I must admit that I liked the book better and felt the movie kind of ruined the pictures in my mind. I personally think that Hollywood should seriously consider remaking this video with a truer rendition of the book. My dd and I would be happy to consult with any hardware issues that they may run into.

Slumber Party

DD is at a sleepover tonight. It is her BFF’s birthday party. They were going to Laser Tag and having a pool party with boys and girls. Then just the girls were sleeping over. My DD is growing up. It wasn’t too long ago she was able to go her first sleepover – period. Slumber Parties are a rite of passage for girls. They have their good points and there propensity for problems – does truth and dare sound familiar? And my baby girl (I’m sure that she will hate that term, but all you mom’s understand the feeling) has passed through this cusp. It just reminds me how few years we have left before she won’t be sleeping under our roof period. Parenthood is such a fleeting period of our life. It can seem like forever when you are getting up for the third feeding in a night and it may seem never-ending when you are shuttling them to and from all their social activities. But truthfully, it is just a blink in our lives.

Hopefully DD will have a wonderful and relatively uneventful overnight. I’m sure she’ll have lots to tell us about – especially the part about boys tomorrow.

By, D

Outdoors Women

Great daughter quote when we were in Cabela’s today.




It dawned on me as we were eating lunch that she still needed to pick up a gift for her friend’s birthday party tomorrow. “Why don’t you buy something for Eva here?”

“Mom, she probably doesn’t even know what Cabela’s is. She isn’t an outdoor girl like you and me.”

How nice it felt to be in here camp “you and me”. I guess I’ll have to keep up my hiking.

Working Out

Okay I need to admit I am one of those people that say that it can’t be hard to loose weight. All you need to do is eat right and exercise. Well was I wrong!!! I recently started eating healthy and exercising with my mom. It is fun to have a partner to workout with, but when you see the infomercials on the TV. with you will lose 50 pounds in two weeks. Well that seems highly impossible right now. I just recently ended Acting camp a couple days ago and I was dancing every day, so that was my exercise. I didn’t need to do anymore exercise in that day, but now that that is over. Now I need to lose weight. Well I don’t want to lose weight, just keep the same weight and grow taller, but I don’t think that that will happen anytime soon, so now my mom and I are working out for a half hour doing some type of exercise. Right now we are doing yoga.

But then it comes to eat right and not over eating and watching the portion you want to eat and the portion you should eat. Well with eating healthy it isn’t just what you eat it is how much, and what is in it. Like today we had chicken tenders (home-made), but instead of frying we grilled them with the breading on them, and they were still good!!! Most people think that they need to give up good food while they “eat right”, but I don’t look at it like that. Ya you do need to stop eating 5 pieces of pizza every Friday night, and when a dessert comes out take 1 piece not 3. I know it isn’t easy and I am slowly figuring that out. That you can’t always eat when you want to. For me when I am bored I want to eat and I do. Yes most of the time it is healthy snacks, but I am still hungry and eat more and more and it isn’t healthy for me to do that, even though it is a healthy food. This afternoon before lunch I offered something that I wanted and really liked was hot dogs in egg noodles……All I got was the ‘you want to lose weight and you want me to make that’ look. I wanted it, but then I realized that is two lunches in one meal.

Now when ever some goes oh I am trying to lose weight. I know how hard it is to do and I don’t know if I could ever do it without my mother to help me through exercising when there is a part I don’t want to do.

By C

Welcome to our Blog

Just what I need another blog. I’m having a hard enough time keeping up with my others, but how do you refuse a teenager that wants to spend time with you and commits to total parental control. So needless to say, DD and I will by creating this blog together. Truthfully, she has developed a great writing voice which I look forward to seeing her develop further.
Dd is just entering the teenage years. She is 13 years old and will be posting an introduction of her own.

I am as my profile says a 30 something mother of two children. My husband and I have chosen to homeschool our children. We are in a bit of transition. My husband changed jobs in February and I left mine in April. DH has been working at his previous job for 18 years and I was there since I was old enough to see over the counter. It was my family’s business. Unfortunately, things change and we have to move on. In this case, we are going to have to literally move too. When my husband and I bought the house we live in now, we thought it would be our forever house, but now we are packing it up. I enjoy scrapbooking, reading, and travel. You can read more about me in my profile.

So along with this craziness, I am blogging. DD thought that this was a very interesting idea and wanted to join in. So we have worked together to create “A Cup of Tea with Mom and Me” (to see how we came up with the name – see C’s entry, “Naming Our Blog”). We will both be posting on the many mother / daughter activities, trials, and triumphs in our life. So that you can tell who posted what, we will sign our posts: C is DD and D is Dawn, me. Only my email will show, but I will happily forward appropriate emails to her.

We hope that you will take a few minutes and join us for a cup of tea.

by D

Naming our Blog

Okay, this is what I would think is one of the easiest things to do in the world, but it has taken me forever to name this blog. I asked my mom if we could do a blog together and I thought like a writer’s block, or something, but now we are having fun doing it. Sure I still haven’t figured out the name for the blog, but I love writing about all of this. I have thought of a name, but we want it to involve that this is a mother daughter blog………which it is, but I can’t think of how to put that into the name. Every day she would ask “Have you thought of one yet?” and I would always respond with the simple two letter word “No”, but I still can’t figure it out.

I would usually look at someone who is trying to find a name and just give them one ‘like duh’ type of thing, but now I can’t think of one and I want it to be good. Plus I want people to look at the name and say “Hey that looks like a cool blog. Lets read it.” Just like I do with my mom when she looks through people that blog about the same thing she dose.

I think I have the name ‘A Cup of Tea with Mom & Me’ I like it and it explains that it is kind of about our life, since when you have tea that is what you do. You catch up on this in each others life. I think this will be the name for the blog. So if you’re reading this on A Cup of Tea With Mom & Me blog. Well I think you know how it played out. :)

By C