I did it again tonight.  I logged onto You Tube, and got lost for about 3 hours.  Just going from one music video to another, showing my kids different bands & styles of music.  I like to watch them figure out for themselves which kinds of music they like & which they don't.  But, somehow we always end these nights with a little MJ.  Fortunately, both kids enjoy his music & dance moves.

Particularly the moonwalk....

Reclaiming My Basement, A Little At A Time....

I have been complaining for probably the last 3 or 4 years that our basement is nothing but a place to pile junk.  Boxes upon boxes of baby clothes, old toys (most with lost or broken pieces), ratty old furniture, 2 tv's and thousands of dust bunnies.  Well I finally I decided that enough is enough!  A big step for me, since when it comes to this sort of thing, I tend to be all talk & no action.

Since our basement consists of one large room, a small laundry room, a small workroom, and a TINY bathroom, I decided that the bathroom would be the easiest to start with because of it's size.  It's the easiest to clean & at least become functional.  As the kids get older, I know that we are definitely going to be needing another bathroom in this house!

I started by giving everything a good scrubbing so that it could actually be used (except for the shower, which needs one of those shower/tub kits that fit over the existing shower/wall/tub).  Besides the shower, I decided that the bathroom definitely needs a new toilet (even now that it's clean, the one we have is really stained & just looks gross) and a new sink & countertop combo.  None of which are needed immediately to be able to use the bathroom; they are just old & could use replacing.  Other than that, it needs a fresh coat of paint, a new shower curtain & window curtains, trash can & small accessories.

Here are some "before" pictures.  I'll post the "after" pics when it's finished.

2009 - The Year In Pictures

One of my very favorite things to do is log onto MSN.com each Friday & look at "The Week In Pictures" from around the world.  The last Friday of December, they do a recap of the year & call it... you guessed it:  "The Year In Pictures".  Rather than write a long blog detailing what I did this year, I thought I would make my own "Year In Pictures".  So.... Enjoy, and hope you have a fabulous 2010!

Ringing in 2009 with friends!  (Erin, me, Michelle)

Jan 2009 - Alison as "Carol", the main character, in "A Christmas Carol"

Feb 2009 - Alison as a munchkin in "The Wizard Of Oz"

March 2009 - Dad, Aidan & Alison at the Harlem Globetrotteres game

March 2009 - Future WNBA star

March 2009 - Erin & I in Nashville, TN for the New Kids On The Block concert

April 2009 - Alison's First Road Trip/Concert, to New Kids On The Block in Champaign, IL

April 2009 - Easter Egg Hunt (L to R: GracieAnn, Ben, Aidan, Kanin & Alison)

May 2009 - Alison & Aidan meet cousin Jack

June 2009 - Me at Busch Stadium with an Albert Pujols homerun ball (it was a GREAT birthday present!)

June 2009 - Aimee, Kanin, Alison & Aidan at Grant's Farm

June 2009 - Aidan plays T-ball

June 2009 - Birthday Tattoo!

June 2009 - New ink for Jeff, too!

June 2005 - Jeff & I at the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA, Key West, FL

June 2009 - Jeff & I at Mallory Square in Key West, FL

July 2009 - Alison & I at her 2nd (my 3rd) NKOTB concert of the year

July 2009 - Alison & I with other volunteers meeting Joey McIntyre, for the Let's Get This Foundation charity book drive, before the NKOTB concert.

July 3, 2009 - Welcome baby Caleb!

July 5, 2009 - Happy 2nd Birthday, GracieAnn!

July 2009 - Good times with good friends!  (Susan & I at the No Doubt concert)

July 2009 - Alison & Aidan at Lake of the Ozarks, MO

July 2009 - Alison earns her 1st degree black belt in taekwondo

July 2009 - Jeff & I at the Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd concert

August 2009 - Too Cool for School!  (1st day of school- Aidan in 1st grade, Alison in 4th)

August 2009 - Alison's 10th birthday party sleepover

August 2009 - family trip to the STL zoo

September 2009 - Aidan earns his 1st degree black belt in taekwondo!

October 2009 - proud Cub Scout Aidan

October 31, 2009 - Ready to Trick-or-Treat!

(Me-80s girl, April-Devil's Wife, Aidan-Boba Fett, Kanin-Snake Eyes, GracieAnn-Minnie Mouse, Alison-vampire fairy, Caleb-monkey)

November 2009 - Happy 6th Birthday, Kanin!

December 2009 - Aidan opening presents at his birthday party.  Happy 7th Birthday, Aidan!

December 2009 - Aidan loses his 1st tooth!

December 2009 - Christmas at Mom & Dad's (Caleb, Alison, Aidan, GracieAnn & Kanin)

Happy 2010!

It's a Dance-Off

Another cute video I found on Alison's new iPod...

Kanin, the Supermodel

I was scrolling through Alison's new iPod when I came across this supercute video of Kanin, striking various poses.  I think he might have a future on the runway....

Secret Missions of the LGE-3

The LGE-3 is a covert operations Army/Spy Club made up of:

Kanin Westerhold: Code Name "Laser"

Bio: "Laser" was an orphan on the street who slept on a rock until he finally joined the Army & became a spy at the age of 6.  Laser is the most daring of all the LGE-3, and also has a superpower: Invincibility.  Laser also hires himself out to the highest bidder, performing acts so outrageous & courageous that he has earned multiple awards from the President.

Aidan Tesdall: Code Name "Ghost"

Bio: "Ghost" followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the Army at the tender age of 7.  He is also the "techy" of the group, showing them how to use all the various spy equipment.  Aidan hired Laser for the sum of "One Hundred Million Zillion Bucks" to help locate & eliminate his enemies.

Alison Tesdall: Code Name "Eagle"

Bio: "Eagle" was born a rich kid, but was tired of being mistreated at home.  So, she ran away & joined the Army, then specialized in Spy training.  Eagle is the leader (bossiest) of the LGE-3 and helps keep both Laser & Ghost in line when their attention strays from their missions.

Together, they are sent out on top secret missions by the United States Government.  So top secret, in fact, that they won't even give me any details of those missions.

The LGE-3

Left to Right:  "Eagle", "Ghost" & "Laser"